Walking a Mile
by Razzle
Summary: Six Cats! fans are turned into Jellicles and appear in the Junkyard! This idea has been used before in fanfics of course. But what happens when the fans are turned into the cats they hate? They'll have to walk a mile in someone else's shoes to get home.
1. Someone Else's Shoes

**Chapter 1: Someone Else's Shoes**

Bombalurina stirred and rolled over in her sleep. A warm, fuzzy lump at her side woke her. Her eyes flew open and she found herself looking at the equally startled face of the Rum Tum Tugger. They screamed in unison.

* * *

"Hey! Earth to Jemima! Helloooooooo!" Pouncival waved a paw in Jemima's face.

"Hmm?" she said. She looked down at herself, a surprised and shocked expression on her face. "Oh, no," she moaned weakly.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! What in the name of the Heaviside Layer happened to me?" The white cat known as Victoria wrapped her face in her arms in an attempt to hide from the world.

"Vicky?" Mistoffelees's concerned voice came from behind her.

"It's not fair. Why is this happening to me?"

"Why is what happening to you?" Mistoffelees moved around in front of Victoria and gently peeled her arms away from her face. "Here, let me see..."

"I don't even _like_ ballet music!" she protested.

Mistoffelees could see absolutely nothing wrong with her other than tears. "Um.. Victoria?" he asked, hoping she'd give him some sort of explanation.

"First-never, never, _ever_ call me Victoria, Vicky, Vick, Vicks, Vickmeister or anything even remotely close. My name's Jessica. And second-I think it would be a very good idea if I talked to Old Deuteronomy now."

* * *

By the time all the cats in the Junkyard had gathered before the Jellicle Leader's tire, most of the hysterics had been calmed down to quiet miseries.

"Now, what's wrong?" Old Deuteronomy asked.

Jessica, better known to most of the Jellicles as Victoria, stepped forward. Jemima, Demeter, Bombalurina, The Rum Tum Tugger, and Cassandra stood a few feet behind.

"Old Deuteronomy," Jessica began, "Something awful has happened. We-" she indicated the cats behind her, "-aren't who you think we are. We're humans-well, er, we used to be. My real name is Jessica." She turned to the others, indicating for them to introduce themselves, as well.

"Lauren," said Bombalurina.

"Call me Tracy." That was Demeter.

"I'm Kayla," Jemima piped up.

"My name's Irving," The Tugger put in.

"And my name actually _is_ Cassandra," the Burmese queen admitted. After a pause, she clarified, "Not the Cassandra you know. I just have the same name."

Jessica nodded. "Anyway," she continued, "It's not that we don't like Jellicles, we love you to pieces. The problem is, well, you see.." Jessica turned pink under her white fur. "Not all of us like.. _all_... of you. And.. we somehow ended up being turned into the very cats we, erm, hate."

Deuteronomy, who had been listening patiently throughout the explanation, nodded. "This is indeed complicated."

"Can you send us back?" Tracy interjected.

Deuteronomy shook his head sadly. "I wish that I could. Unfortunately, I do not know how you came here, let alone how to reverse the process. However, I will do my utmost best to find out."

Jessica, who seemed to be a somewhat self-appointed spokes-cat, nodded, holding back a sniffle. "I understand," she said, her voice controlled.

"I _don't_," Lauren, who had replaced Bombalurina, cried. "I want to go home!" Tearfully, she pushed her way through the crowd of Jellicles and went to sit on the large, black, open ended pipe. Black and gold fur bristling in anger, Tracy followed.


	2. Taking the First Step

**Chapter 2: Taking the First Step**

"Ugh, I hate this!" Kayla complained, looking around at herself in disgust. "This is terrible, don't you agree, Jessica? I'm so cute I make myself sick! I mean, look at these humongous eyes." To emphasize her point, Kayla stared at Jessica with her already large eyes as wide as they would go. "Of all the cats in the Junkyard, why did I have to be _Jemima?_"

"Yeah, but at least no one expects _you_ to turn yourself into a pretzel all the time," Jessica commiserated. "I can't believe I'm the ultimately stuck-up little-miss-perfect Victoria."

"Yep," Kayla sighed, frowning. "At least you're able to be taken seriously, though."

"I guess," Jessica agreed reluctantly. "Well, as long as we're here, I'm going to take a look around the Junkyard. I've always wanted to!"

"Good idea," Kayla agreed, brightening. "Me too. Meet you back here in an hour or so, 'kay?"

"Okay!"

* * *

"Go away!" Irving said, blushing as he looked down at Etcetera and Electra. "Come on, kittens your age really should not be hanging around someone like the Rum Tum Tugger. Can't you ask Jennyanydots to teach you to sew or something?"

"We want the Tugger back!" Electra said stubbornly, as both kittens looked up at Irving with round eyes. "We miss him!"

"Yeah," Etcetera sniffled. "It's just no fun anymore around here without him. Besides - he always looked out for us."

"He - what?" Irving said, startled.

"We never have to be afraid of Macavity or anything when he's around," Electra explained.

"That's because he's big and strong," Etcetera continued for her, "and we know he'll look out for us and always protect us, just like his big bro Munkustrap."

_Is it possible?_ Irving thought, his mane ruffling uncomfortably. _Have I totally misjudged this guy?_

* * *

Jessica had to admit, that even if she was stuck being Victoria, this once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the Jellicle Junkyard was amazing. She had just had the time of her life using Jennyanydots's old car boot as a combination trampoline and slide with Pouncival, Admetus, and Exotica. Jessica was just sitting on top of the pipe at the edge of the Junkyard, wondering what to do next, when she heard a sound from below her. Her white ears twitched reflexively to catch the sound as she looked down toward the source. Someone was inside the pipe... crying?

She jumped down off the edge of the pipe and stuck her little pink nose in through the large round hole. "Hello?" she called softly.

A flash of black and white fur moved suddenly as the cat inside the pipe turned to face her. It was Mistofelees, and he had obviously been the one who was crying.

"Is it... okay if I come in?" Jessica asked softly.

"Sure," Mistofelees said, reaching up a paw to wipe away his tears.

Jessica crawled into the pipe and pressed her shoulder up against the magical cat comfortingly. "What's wrong, Misto?" she whispered.

"I miss Victoria," he replied simply. It was obvious, though he kept his voice even and calm, that he was very upset. For several moments he didn't say anything else, then he turned to Jessica and said, "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Of course, Misto!" Jessica replied, hoping she could help him feel better. "What is it?"

"If you like me," Mistofelees asked, looking into Jessica's eyes, "then why don't you like Victoria?"

"Because she's a complete brainless twit!" Jessica burst out without thinking.

"You think I'm in love with a complete brainless twit?" Mistofelees replied, sounding totally crushed. His ears and tail drooped, and his eyes were filled with a sort of questioning pain.

"Um, no?" Jessica stammered, beginning to feel just a little bit guilty about hating Victoria. _Poor Misto!_ she thought. _I didn't mean to hurt him! I'm such a jerk._

"But you just said - "

"Nevermind!" Jessica interrupted. "I was wrong, okay?" Placing one furry white paw on the magical cat's shoulder, she said firmly, "We are _going_ to get her back, Misto! We're going to get them _all_ back! I don't know how - but we will."

* * *

"What do you want?" Jemima whimpered, looking at Macavity with wide, scared eyes. Cassandra was sprawled protectively across her and Victoria, giving the Hidden Paw the look of death.

The Rum Tum Tugger, meanwhile, looked as though he was about ready to rip Macavity to shreds, if only he and the others weren't locked up in a cell in his lair, with the ginger tom standing safely on the outside.

"Mwahaha!" Macavity laughed. "It's just all part of my plan," he explained gleefully. "I should be in charge of the Junkyard, not my fool brother and that old pillowcase Deuteronomy!"

"HEY!" Bombalurina shouted, lunging at him through the bars of their cell and hissing threateningly. "Don't you talk about Old Deuteronomy that way! He's older and wiser than you'll _ever_ be!"

Behind her, Demeter was all spiked up fur and round, round eyes. "Macavity," she whispered, glaring at him though she was clearly terrified. "Just let us go."

"I don't think so," Macavity declined. "Even if I let these others go, you don't think I'd let _you_ go, now do you, my dear?" He then turned and left, laughing maniacally again.

* * *

For the second time that day, Jessica rounded up the fans that had been turned into Jellicle cats. "We have to do something!" she said. "Victoria, Tugger, Cassandra, Jemima, Bombalurina and Demeter are _missing_. We know _we're_ okay, but we have to get them back!"

"How?" Tracy asked. "We don't even know where they are."

"We'll just have to look for them," Irving said, one arm around Etcetera and the other around Electra. "The other Jellicles depend on them. We've broken up a family!"

"It wasn't exactly our fault," Cassandra pointed out. "_I_ certainly didn't ask to be turned into the Burmese queen with _my name_ - but I do see your point."

The others nodded their agreement, and turned to Jessica to see what she would do next. Without meaning to, she had sort of assumed the role as their leader in this situation.

"So it's decided," Jessica said, her eyes flashing with determination. "We'll leave the Junkyard first thing in the morning to look for them."

"Now just a minute," a voice said from behind them. The voice was very stern, very concerned, and very grey tabby.

"Munkustrap!" Jessica cried gleefully, turning around and pouncing him with a gigantic hug.

"Oof!" Munkustrap protested. "What was that for?" he asked as she let go of him. His fur was a little bit rumpled, but he was grinning slightly.

"Sorry," Jessica said, blushing. "Can't help it. Fangirl."

Munkustrap nodded, still looking a bit amused, as if at the antics of kittens. "Now what is this about you six leaving the Junkyard to go look for the others?"

"We have to, Munkustrap!" Lauren spoke up suddenly. Everyone turned to her in surprise. She had been so quiet since they had all arrived. "I'm terrified, sure, but I can't stand to think of any Jellicle in trouble - even... Bombalurina," she finished lamely.

"She's right," Kayla agreed, fixing her large eyes sternly on the protector of the Junkyard. "It's because of us that they're missing. We're not going to let the rest of you put yourselves at risk! We have to do this."

Munkustrap looked unconvinced. "It is my duty to protect the Junkyard," he said firmly, "and all the Jellicles. Right now, that includes all of you."

"Who do you propose goes to look for them, then?" Irving said quietly, looking at Munkustrap. "You? Then who protects the Junkyard?" Irving shook his head, his mane rustling with the motion. "No. It has to be this way! Now stop being stubborn, Munkustrap!"

Munkustrap rocked back on his heels, giving Irving an appraising look. "You sound as much like my brother as you look like him," he said. "All right. I bow to your logic. As much as I hate to admit it, and as much as every fiber of my being screams to protect you all, you're right."

* * *

The next morning, the six Jellicle fans gathered at the gates to the Junkyard.

"Well, let's not hang around here all day," Kayla said determinedly. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Jessica agreed. "Okay, come on, everybody."

Everyone followed Jessica out of the Junkyard, then the group stood on the London sidewalk as they tried to decide where to go. All except Tracy, who brushed past Jessica and started stalking off very confidently into the city.

"Wait a minute!" Jessica exclaimed, running ahead to leap in front of the girl who had replaced the black-and-gold calico queen. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Macavity's lair," Tracy replied, stopping in her tracks to sit down on the white pavement.

"Wait, Tracy! We're doing this together, remember? We haven't decided where we're going firs- wait a minute." Jessica interrupted herself and looked at Tracy with narrowed eyes. "How do _you_ know where Macavity's lair is?"

"I asked Mungojerrie," Tracy explained impatiently. "He didn't want to tell me how to find it at first, and he told me it was too dangerous. Then I pointed out that there were very likely at least six Jellicle prisoners there, and he finally told me."

"Okay, I'll bite," Jessica said, frowning and crossing her arms. "Just _how_ do you figure Macavity has them?"

"I'm willing to bet," Tracy said, rolling her eyes, "that Demeter has gone and gotten herself kidnapped by Macavity - _again_. It stands to reason that they're all there. Even if they aren't, rescuing one Jellicle is a good place to start."

"I think she's right," Cassandra agreed. "You know, the thought of Macavity had occured to me, too. I feel stupid now, since I didn't think of asking someone where his lair is. I figured we'd just have to stumble around London blindly until we ran into a clue of some type to tell us where to go."

"Well? What do the rest of you guys think?" Jessica asked, turning to the others. "Any objections to following Tracy to Macavity's lair?" No one spoke up with an objection, so Jessica nodded. "All right then." She stepped out of Tracy's way. "Lead the way!"

With a nod, Tracy started walking again, and this time everyone else followed.


	3. A Dangerous Path

**Chapter 3: A Dangerous Path**

Tracy felt the black and gold fur on her spine standing on end again, but she shrugged the feeling off and, with a deliberate conscious effort, smoothed the fur back down again so the others wouldn't notice. _You're just starting to get paranoid like Demeter,_ she told herself sternly. _Get it together, girl!_

Despite having been turned into - sigh, gag - _Demeter_, of all cats, Tracy still thought it was really and totally cool to get to be a Jellicle. It was sort of one of those life long dreams, though of course it was unrealistic, but she'd at least hoped to be in the musical "Cats!" on stage one day. _But then,_ she thought happily, _I guess it's not all that unrealistic, is it? After all, here I am!_

She led the other five fans-turned-Jellicle through the streets of London, confidently following Mungojerrie's directions to Macavity's lair. It was odd, yet weirdly helpful, that the sense of smell was part of those directions. Having such heightened feline senses was a delightful advantage over her human self. _Right, so we take the alley that smells like fresh lilacs and the fish cart, go straight ahead and..._

...It was getting increasingly difficult to concentrate. Try as she might, Tracy simply could not rid herself of the feeling that their small group was being _watched_. It was almost as if -

A furry paw descended suddenly on her shoulder.

"AARGH! MACAVITY!" Tracy shrieked, spinning around to face the ginger tom with her claws and fur sticking out in just about every direction.

"Woah," Jessica said, pulling her paw back and flattening her ears in surprise. "Chill out, Tracy! It's just me!"

Embarrassed, Tracy sat down and licked her paw, trying to settle her nerves. "Um, right. I knew that. I - just... um... always wanted to... do that?"

"Uh-huh," Cassandra said in a tone of total disbelief. "Sure you have. C'mon, Tracy, we know you hate Demeter as much as we all hate the Jellicles _we've_ turned into ourselves. What's eating you?"

"I dunno," Tracy admitted, still annoyed with herself for acting so paranoid. "I just have this weird feeling, you know? Like, being stalked. I think it's just 'cause Macavity is _always_ kidnapping Demeter... Well, he does in the stage play, anyway."

Jessica nodded understandingly. "Don't worry about it," she said. "We don't think you're a chicken or anything. I'd probably start feeling paranoid myself if _I_ were Demeter."

Tracy flashed a grin at her new friend. "Thanks," she said simply. Quickly changing the subject, she pointed down the alley they'd just turned into. "Okay, so Macavity's lair should be at the end of this alley. I don't suppose anyone has a plan?"

"Actually," Lauren said, standing thoughtfully at the rear of the group, "I have a thought." She was sitting just outside the alley, and appeared to be looking at something.

"What? What is it?" Jessica asked, bounding back to meet her.

"Well..." Lauren said shyly, as everyone crowded around her. "I was thinking, if Macavity really _does_ have a whole bunch of henchcats, why don't we try to disguise ourselves as some? I mean, I know it sounds cheesy and totally done before, but if it works.. I mean, hey, right?"

"Great idea!" Irving said with an encouraging smile to the shy fan. "But how do we do that? We're not exactly..." he paused to ruffle his large yellow mane, "...hard to miss."

"Yeah, I thought of that, too," Lauren said, looking at his mane. "I figure it like this: Macavity's henchcats are strays, and probably pretty grubby. If we roll around in a bunch of dirt and soot, and maybe even find some fish in the garbage around here to get into, we should look and smell so unappealing even Macavity won't want to get close enough for a sniff."

Kayla giggled. "It's worth a try!" she agreed.

All six fans raced off, each in a different direction, looking for the best ways to grub themselves up.

* * *

It was all Macavity could do to keep from laughing, as he watched them from the branches of a small, manicured tree that had been planted in a small patch of dirt on the sidewalk. Smelly, dirty henchcats indeed. They might get into a bit of dirt or dust now and then while following Macavity's orders, but they knew that if they did not keep themselves well groomed they would face his wrath.

These cats were acting like no more than kittens, even the full-grown ones. He could understand such silly behaviour from the ones that looked like Victoria and Jemima, but it was almost more than Macavity could bear to keep silent watching the Rum Tum Tugger's double jumping up and down in a small pile of trash in the gutter. The ones that looked like Bombalurina and Cassandra, as well as the Demeter-one... 'Tracy' he had heard them call her, were acting no less silly themselves.

He had been following them for several minutes, since he had first spotted their group a short ways away from his lair. At first, he had thought his captives had escaped him. Curiously enough, though, they had been heading straight _towards_ his lair. Soon enough, he had also started to hear them talk about being 'turned into' the Jellicles, and it had just gotten more interesting from there. He had been afraid for a moment that he had been given away when Tracy had panicked, but her friends had managed to - incorrectly - reassure her that she was just being paranoid. Macavity certainly wasn't about to straighten them out on that point. Especially not when they were going to be this entertaining!

* * *

"Okay, that oughtta do it!" Jessica called out cheerfully. She was no longer a pure, elegant white. Instead, she seemed to be something like a black-and-grey-and-brown mud tabby. She smelled even more interesting. "Gee, I sure hope we didn't overdo it with the old fish..." she said ruefully, looking over her companions.

"Nah," Lauren told her, nodding in approval. "This is just what I had in mind."

"Lead the way, then, Tracy," Kayla said, grinning.

"Right," Tracy agreed. "Now, remember, we have to be quiet - and act like henchcats."

The others nodded, and all six fans slinked cautiously to the end of the alley. There was a small entrance at the base of the brick wall where the bricks had crumbled away.

_If I didn't have a cat at home,_ Kayla thought, looking at the tiny opening, _I would never believe a cat could fit through there._

"Well, here goes," she said quietly. "I'll give it a go first. I'm the smallest, anyway. I'm even smaller than you, Jessica." The others stepped back a little and Kayla slipped easily through the entrance. "Come on!" she called back in a hissed whisper. "You guys'll fit, no problem."

A little dubiously, the other fans followed one after the other, with Irving squeezing his body through last. "Well," he muttered, "now we know why Macavity's so thin."

Kayla stifled a giggle at that. "Okay, Tracy. What now?"

"I dunno..." Tracy said, looking a little sheepish. "I forgot to ask Mungo about the _inside_ of the lair."

"Oh, great," Jessica groaned. "Oh, well. None of the rest of us even thought of asking for directions in the first place. I guess we're really on our own at this point."

It was a sobering thought, and no one spoke for a long moment.

"Right," Cassandra said, finally, sounding a lot uncomfortable. "We'd better get started then. This place gives me the creeps."

No one offered up any disagreement with that. Nervously, the six fans made their way ever deeper into Macavity's lair. Fortunately, they didn't run into Macavity, and the few henchcats they passed seemed too involved in their own business to pay them much mind. Although the group _did_ get a few disgusted looks and wrinkled noses tossed in their direction.

"I think we're lost," Lauren whispered, her fur starting to stand on end just a bit. "This place is a maze!"

"Don't worry!" Jessica replied cheerfully, though she kept her voice low as well. "We'll find them. _Then_ we'll worry about getting out of here."

After several more minutes of the fans wandering around, totally lost, Cassandra was the one who suddenly stopped.

"Cass?" Jessica prompted as the others stopped to look at the Burmese-queen fan.

That got Cassandra's attention. "Hey! Don't call me that. Ugh. That's _Cassandra's_ nickname."

"Oops," Jessica said, chagrined. "I'm sorry! I forgot... What is it? Why did you stop?"

"I..." Cassandra said, her eyes unfocusing again. She closed her eyes, her ears twitching in various directions, then opened her eyes again, swivelling her head to the side. "That way," she said softly. "I think they're that way. I can kind of... sense them. Can't you?"

Jessica looked hard in the direction Cassandra had indicated, down a side path, and concentrated. "I don't think so," she admitted a few seconds later.

"I can, though," Tracy said, her eyes very round as she, too, stared in the same direction. "I'm sure you're right."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Irving asked, and he bounded ahead. The others quickly followed.

A few moments later, they found themselves in a somewhat larger chamber as the tunnel opened out. Directly ahead of them was a cell, and in it -

"It's you guys!" Kayla cried out happily, running up to the cell bars, closely followed by everyone else.

The Jellicles inside the cell looked, predictably enough, shocked out of their wits. Victoria was the first to gather herself together enough to approach the front of the cell. "Who are you?" she asked simply, in a sweet tone.

"Oh, yeah," Kayla said sheepishly. "That part is getting kind of confusing for everybody. I know I look like Jemima there, but my name's Kayla and I'm a human girl. We're all really humans," she said, indicating the other fans. "It's a long story, but I'll tell it to you when we've got time if you want."

"Yeah," the Rum Tum Tugger agreed, walking up behind Victoria and putting a hand on one of the cell bars, "but for now, let's get _out_ of here!"

"I couldn't agree more!" Kayla said with a decisive nod, starting to look over the bulky iron lock. _Now if we can get this open..._

"Leaving so soon?"

The six fans whirled around, and all twelve cats stared as Macavity stepped forward out of the shadows. He was followed by an alarming horde of henchcats. "I don't think so."


	4. If the Shoe Fits, Wear It

**Chapter 4: If the Shoe Fits, Wear It**

"Why am I not surprised?" Irving cried in frustration, throwing a paw in the air for emphasis.

"Macavity!" Tracy whispered, her fur sticking out so straight she almost looked more like a muddy porcupine than a cat at that moment.

"The very same," Macavity said grandly, smoothly taking Tracy's reaction as an indroduction for himself. "And you've walked right into my lair, if you'll be kind enough to forgive the cliche."

The fans pressed back against the bars of the cell, naturally enough being intimidated by the Hidden Paw and his large army of henchcats. Lauren glanced inside the cell at Bombalurina, then back at Macavity. She looked thoughtful.

"You've made my job so very easy, and I believe more fun as well!" Macavity went on happily. "I hardly have to put forth any effort at all to capture you now."

"Why capture us at all?" Jessica demanded earnestly. Next to her, Lauren was now busily trying to comb as much of the dirt as possible out of her fur with her claws. Pausing just long enough to give her friend an odd look for that, Jessica went on, "Why don't you just reform and come join the rest of the Jellicles in the Junkyard?"

"Because," Macavity explained, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "then I wouldn't be in charge instead of Munkustrap there."

"Gee, duh, why didn't I think of that," Jessica muttered sarcastically.

"Yeah, it doesn't always have to be about _you_, you know!" Irving flared, stepping forward to show he supported Jessica in what she had said. "Maybe you should just grow up for once."

"Maybe I should just teach you some manners," Macavity offered menacingly.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Lauren purred suddenly, sauntering up to Macavity and rubbing up against his shoulder. Surprised, he turned his full attention on the red-furred fan.

The other fans couldn't believe what they were seeing. Was shy Lauren, who disapproved so very much of Bombalurina's behavior, actually _flirting_ with the Monster of Depravity?

"What are you doing?!" Tracy yelped, staring at Lauren in shock. "That's _Macavity!_"

Bombalurina shot one paw out from between the bars of the cell and put it on Tracy's shoulder. "Leave her alone," she hissed, her eyes narrowed speculatively at Lauren. "She knows what she's doing."

"I'm not so sure," Kayla murmured back to the red queen, only half listening as Lauren continued to talk with Macavity. "She's awfully shy. This is kinda... different for her."

"It doesn't matter," Bombalurina whispered back confidently. "Just be quiet and let her work. She's doing a good job."

"...and so I was thinking we could maybe talk about everything over a nice cup of tea or something," Lauren finished persuasively, giving Macavity a coy half-smile.

Kayla had to admit that Bombalurina was right - Lauren had been smooth-talking steadily for the past couple of minutes now, and she certainly seemed to have captured Macavity's attention at the very least.

"Come along, then!" Macavity said cheerfully, grabbing Lauren by the paw and starting to pull her out of the room. Aside, to the henchcats, he added, "Lock the others up with the rest."

"But - !" Lauren blurted out in surprised protest, glancing back over her shoulder at the others, then cut herself off.

"Yes?" Macavity asked pleasantly, giving her a look of benign curiosity. Then his gaze shifted to follow hers and he said, "Don't worry, my dear. Your friends won't be harmed. I just like taking captives, that's all. It keeps Munkustrap's life a little more interesting."

"Um... I guess..." Lauren said haltingly. It seemed to be enough for Macavity, and with an apologetic look over her shoulder at the rest, Lauren followed him out of the room.

"Get in," a henchcat said bluntly, swinging the cell door open and gesturing inside.

"Well, this is not good," Tracy observed sourly as the group joined the other Jellicles inside the cell and the door clanged shut and locked behind them.

* * *

_Just what have I gotten myself into?_ Lauren thought worriedly, as Macavity led her through the confusing twists and turns of his lair. She soon came to the conclusion that she would now have next to no hope of finding her friends and the other Jellicles again on her own. The thought was actually pretty terrifying. _I'm all on my own, now! I don't know what I was thinking. Whatever possessed me to act like Bombalurina, of all cats, anyway?!_ She smiled hesitantly as Macavity glanced briefly back at her.

"We're almost there," he told her simply.

_Oh, goodie,_ Lauren thought wryly. _Then what will I do? I have no idea what I'm supposed to do next._

* * *

"Okay," Jessica said, sitting in the middle of the cell. "This is totally not working."

"Really?" Kayla snapped sarcastically. "What was your first clue?"

A soft white paw landed gently on Kayla's shoulder, and she turned to look up at Victoria. The white cat was giving her an earnest look. "Please, let's not fight amongst ourselves," she said, her voice soft and musical. "We are friends. We should be working together."

Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes. "Always the right answer from little miss perfect," she muttered.

"Hey, ease up!" Tracy said, nudging her with a paw. "Victoria didn't say anything wrong. I know you're annoyed right now, so am I! But she's actually _right!_"

"...Thank you," Victoria said, seeming surprised and a little mystified by the interchange.

"Okay, okay, you're right," Jessica relented. Turning to Victoria, she added, "Besides, I promised Misto I'd be nice. But what _are_ we going to do?"

"Well, we _could_ wait for now," Bombalurina suggested. "Your friend Lauren was doing a nice job working on Macavity." By this time, the fans and the Jellicles they resembled had exchanged introductions, minimizing the confusion. It had been Irving's suggestion that the two Cassandras be referred to as 'fan-Cassandra' and 'Jellicle-Cassandra' to help out with that even more.

"I don't think that's such a hot idea," fan-Cassandra disagreed, shaking her head. "I really doubt she's going to just show up with Macavity and he'll say 'well, I changed my mind! I'm letting you all go now.' We have to take advantage of the _time_ she's buying for us - and we have to get to her so we can help _her_ get away, too."

"I agree," Jessica said, easily resuming her role of authority now that some real discussion was happening. "We've got to help her, too. Umm, Bombalurina, Demeter... Maybe you guys oughta start by telling us as much as you can about Macavity while we all look around for a possible escape-point from this cell?"

"Good idea," the Rum Tum Tugger nodded, and they all started going over the bars, door, and walls of their cell from top to bottom trying to find any hint of an exit.

"Macavity..." Demeter started out quietly, answering Jessica's question, "Macavity's not really all that bad."

"Yes he is," Bombalurina scoffed.

"Yeah, make up your mind already, Demeter," Tracy said impatiently. "You like him, or you're terrified of him? _Sheeesh_."

"He's not," Demeter insisted, looking earnestly from Tracy to Bombalurina. "Don't get me wrong, of course I'm terrified of him! He's capable of all sorts of atrocities. But... he's very intelligent, and if you really get to know him like I have, you'll find he's got his own personal code of honor."

"That's true," Bombalurina agreed with a nonchalant shrug. "But so what? His 'code of honor' isn't very honorable."

"It is to him," Demeter whispered. "And he won't break it, no matter what."

"I don't suppose," Jessica asked, the wheels in her head turning at what she was hearing, "that you know any of the details of this 'code of honor' of his? Just what will or won't he do?"

"Right!" Kayla agreed. "The more we know about the way his mind works, the more chance we can figure out how to fight back."

"He has no qualms about commiting crimes, or lying about them, of course," Bombalurina answered, "and Pollicles have good reason to fear him."

"And he won't hesitate to get another cat to do his dirty work for him," Demeter admitted, "but if he makes a promise to you, he won't go back on his word. He says that's 'ungentle-cat-ly and inexcusable'."

Bombalurina frowned. "Why don't you tell them just what kind of _promise_ he gave you?"

"He promised..." Demeter started, then trailed off with a shudder, leaning against Bombalurina, who put a supportive paw around her shoulders.

"What?" Tracy prompted. "What did he promise you?"

"He promised he'd never give up on being my mate."

"Your mate?" Irving asked. "But aren't you-?"

"Afraid of him? Why do you suppose that could be?" Bombalurina snapped. "He hasn't left her alone since she came to her senses, realized she didn't want to be mates with a criminal, and ran away from him!"

Jessica glanced at Tracy. The black-and-gold fan was rocked back on her heels, blinking, as she absorbed what they'd all just heard. In fact, everyone had stopped looking for an exit by this time as the conversation drew everyone's attention. Clearing her throat uncomfortably, Jessica decided to change the subject a little. "So that's it? No one found anything?"

"I'm not sure," fan-Cassandra said quietly, her head cocked to one side as she looked at the center of one blank wall. "It doesn't make sense, but... maybe I have."

"Well?" Jessica asked expectantly. "Don't be afraid to feel silly. What is it? What do you think you found?"

"I think - I think it's an old secret passageway. Old, forgotten, and unused for years, most likely. Macavity probably doesn't even know it's there - if it is, that is - or he wouldn't have put a cell here right next to it. I just haven't figured out how it opens yet."

"That's okay!" Jessica said enthusiastically. "If you did find one, that's just what we needed! As for figuring it out..." She smiled almost shyly, and put a paw on Victoria's shoulder. "We'll work _together_ on that!"


End file.
